Smoking May Reduce Earning: Study Finds - Video

A new paper in Nicotine & Tobacco Research finds that smoking has a negative effect on earnings among younger workers. This is particularly true among the less well educated.

Researchers here used data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, a longitudinal analysis of 3,596 participants from urban and rural areas of five Finnish university regions, born between 1962 and 1977. They linked this data to labor market outcomes from Statistics Finland and parental background information from the Longitudinal Population Census using personal identifiers. The observation period, starting in 2001, covered people aged 24 to 39.

The researchers assessed smoking using “pack-years”.

The researchers found that a one-unit increase in pack-years was associated with a 1.8% decrease in earnings. This suggests that reducing smoking by the equivalent of five pack-years could lead to a 9% earnings increase. Additionally, the investigators involved with this study found that a one-unit increase in pack-years led to a 0.5% decrease in years employed.

The research revealed significant earnings differences between smokers and nonsmokers among younger workers, particularly among the lowest educated people. There was no such distinction among older workers. This suggests that smoking among younger generations, where it is less prevalent, may negatively affect labor market prospects more seriously.

“Smoking in early adulthood is closely linked to long-term earnings and employment, with lower-educated individuals experiencing the most severe consequences,” said the paper’s lead author, Jutta Viinikainen. “These findings highlight the need for policies that address smoking's hidden economic costs and promote healthier behaviors.”

Reference: Jutta Viinikainen, Petri Böckerman, Christian Hakulinen, Jaana T Kari, Terho Lehtimäki, Katja Pahkala, Jaakko Pehkonen, Jorma Viikari, Olli T Raitakari, Tobacco Smoking in Early Adulthood and Labor Market Performance: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2025;, ntae296, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntae296